The Galway Girl
by Nikita-chan6
Summary: A short trip to Ireland leaves Alfred reeling three years later. Thinking he had lost his chance at love a familiar stranger appears in a small bar in Nashville, Tennessee.


*****Author's Note*** So just a little something that popped into my head while listening to Steve Earle's _The Galway Girl. _He's an American country singer who lived in Ireland for years and the country's influence is heard in his songs. _The Galway Girl _is semi-autobiographical. Anyway enjoy, I promise to get back to my main stories soon I'm just...I dunno, a little off.**

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><p>Alfred's phone buzzed early in the morning. Deciding to ignore he continued to sleep. His cell phone, as it turns out, decided to not be ignored and buzzed nonstop. Alfred groaned and finally answered it.<p>

"I'm up, I'm up," he mumbled as he picked up the small device. "Mmhello?"

"YO! Are you awake _mein freund_!? Don't matter because Mathias and I are taking you out tonight! We decided that we wanted to go out and drink!"

Alfred held the phone out at arm's length as his friend's loud voice poured forth.

"Gilbert, I cain't tonight I got a gig in town," he managed to say.

"WHAT!? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US!?" Mathias could be heard yelling in the background.

"Am I on speaker?" The blonde asked, rubbing at his eyes.

"Don't ignore the question Jones!" Gilbert replied.

"Do ya guys wanna come?"

"HELL YES!" They shouted in unison.

That was how Alfred found himself walking to _The 5 Spot_ bar with his two friends and younger sister, who, incidentally, happened to be Gilbert's girlfriend. Something the native Texan would never understand.

"Alfie I am so proud of ya!" His sister gushed. Gilbert wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's waist. "_Ja,_ I'm with Amelia. Good job man."

Alfred grinned as his tall Danish friend clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We'll be cheerin' you on little buddy."

Alfred rolled his eyes but laughed along with them.

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><p><em><strong>Well, I took a stroll down the old Long Walk,<strong>_

_**One day-I-ay-I-ay!**_

_**I met a little girl and we stopped to talk**_

_**Of a fine soft day-I-ay**_

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><p><em>Alfred walked along the extension quay of the Spanish Arch looking out over the water. Stopping to take a picture he saw a dark haired girl watching him with a small grin. Walking over he introduced himself and she smiled and asked if he was a tourist.<em>

"_Yeah," he had said. "I'm from Dallas, Texas originally. In the United States!" he added quickly not sure if she knew where Dallas was. She had chuckled and asked where he was from currently. _

"_Nashville, Tennessee," was his response. He smiled and looked into her blue eyes. "I ain't ever been ta Ireland before."_

_They spoke for hours, walking along the Long Walk together. She thought he was funny and he thought she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen._

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><p>Alfred was setting up on stage and looked out into the crowd. Amelia waved happily at him from her seat on Gilbert's lap, most of the men in the room staring at her and no doubt wondering why she's with an albino guy. Mathias was at the bar getting their drinks, making Al chuckle. The Dane was always drinking but at least he always offered to buy the first and last rounds.<p>

Alfred watched a young couple dancing to the music playing from the club's speakers as he set up. The man was tall with dark hair and brown eyes and she was a pretty little thing, with long, straight black hair and ice blue eyes.

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><p><em><strong>And I ask you friend, what's a fella ta do?<strong>_

'_**Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue.**_

_**And I knew right then, I'd be takin' a whirl,**_

_**At the Salthill Prom with a Galway Girl.**_

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><p><em>She had asked if he'd been to the Salthill Prom yet.<em>

"_No, my friends and I were gonna check it out tonight though," he had lied. They had no plans to do so but if she would be there then Alfred would make them come. She had smiled in that sweet way she had and told him to meet her there. He had agreed and then they parted ways. _

_He came back to the small hotel he and his two friends were sharing and woke them up._

"_Verdammt Alfred! It's too early for this!" His German, self proclaimed Prussian, friend yelled. His Danish friend merely groaned. The American grinned._

"_Ya'll don't understand, I met this girl. She was beautiful! She had this dark, raven hair and," he ran a hand through his hair. "Her eyes! Ugh!" He threw himself down on his bed._

"_So ya gonna see her again?" Mathias asked sitting up._

_Alfred grinned crazily. "Tonight, when we all go ta the Salthill Prom."_

_His idea was met with a chorus of groans from his two friends who only wanted to stay inside and sleep after their wild partying last night._

"_I'm sure she'll bring some friends," he teased, sitting up and nudging the Dane._

"_Man, we're both trying to get your sister," Mathias laughed and Alfred punched him in the arm as Gilbert snickered. "Dude, your sister is hot and I think she likes me,"_

"_In your dreams, she's into me man," Mathias argued._

"_Shut up guys!" Alfred yelled. "Sober up because we're going ta the Salthill Promenade okay!?"_

_**...**_

_Alfred quickly spotted her in the crowd. She was wearing a pretty blue sundress that made her eyes pop. She had introduced herself to his friends before taking his hand and leaving her friends alone with his. She told him that she wanted to dance. _

"_I'm not that good of a dancer," he had chuckled nervously. She smiled and said that she would take it easy and help him. Dancing slowly to a song playing over the speakers Alfred blushed when she laid her head on his chest and danced close to him._

_When the song ended they pulled away, just a bit, and he looked down at her. Smiling he leaned his head down._

"_May I kiss ya?" He had asked. She closed the gap between them._

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><p>Alfred was singing now. His eyes closed as he made his way through his set. Singing soulful tunes with his soft, gravelly, rock n' roll bellow. Getting ready to sing his last song he opened his eyes and focused on one couple. It was the same two he had seen dancing earlier. They were coming back in from outside soaking wet. The girl was laughing as her boyfriend was trying to shake the water out of his hair. The manager came by and handed them some towels. As they dried off Alfred knew what song he had to sing last. It was an old favorite of his, one that he had stopped listening to when he returned from Ireland. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and began to sing.<p>

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><p><em><strong>We were halfway there when the rain came down,<strong>_

_**On a day- I-ay-I-ay**_

_**She asked me up to her flat downtown,**_

_**On a fine soft day- I-ay**_

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><p><em>The rain was pouring down as they ran for cover along the Prom. Standing under an umbrella that Alfred had purchased from a vendor while they were running, she looked up at him. She had told him that she didn't live that far away and that he was welcome to come and dry off. He had turned red but nodded.<em>

"_I'd like that," he had answered as she slipped her small hand into his large one. He nervously followed her wondering where this would end. He didn't have too long to think about it because they were at her house faster than he had thought._

_Once inside she had given him a towel and showed him the way to the bathroom. He had just removed his shirt and was beginning to towel off when he saw a door beside the bathroom open. His curiosity having gotten the better of him he peeked inside. It must've been her bedroom but….there were pictures all over the wall. _

_She had said they were pictures of her family. She had come up behind him quietly, startling the American man. He had turned and watched her eyes as they traced over the pictures. They had died in a boating accident she had explained. She had turned and stared at him for a long time before bringing their lips and bodies close together._

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><p>While he sang he could feel his heart clench. It still hurt after 3 years and he couldn't quite get rid of those piercing blue eyes that haunted his sleep. Sometimes he'd wonder if he was going insane, dreaming about that night over and over.<p>

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><p><em><strong>And I ask you friend, what's a fella ta do?<strong>_

'_**Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue.**_

_**So I took her hand, and I gave her a twirl.**_

_**And I lost my heart to a Galway Girl.**_

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><p><em>He lay in her bed watching her as she slept. He ran a hand through her dark hair and grinned. Her eyes fluttered open and she yawned.<em>

"_Hey," he had whispered. She had smiled and brought her lips to his in a slow kiss. Pulling away she had yawned and said she was tired._

"_Go back ta sleep, I'll be here when ya wake up. I promise."_

_She thanked him and closed those beautiful sapphire eyes of hers and quickly fell back asleep. Watching her for a few more minutes Alfred closed his eyes as he drifted off. That night he dreamt about the possibility of having fallen in love with a girl he just met._

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><p>He finished the song to an eruption of applause from the crowd. They loved him and it was amazing. He saw his sister holler as she stomped her booted feet in joy. He grinned as he watched Mathias raise his glass to him and down it in one go. The blonde chuckled as Amelia grabbed Gilbert's face and crushed her lips to his in a celebratory kiss, the man's eyes going wide before wrapping his arms around her waist. Alfred left the stage with his guitar and was greeted by the grinning manager.<p>

"Well boy, ya were quite a hit. Feel free ta sign up ta play here again sometime."

Alfred chuckled. "Thank ya sir, but I've been thinkin' 'bout takin' this show on the road. Get my name out there."

"Yer talented son, I'm sure ya will do just fine," the manager clapped him on the back and walked away.

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><p><em><strong>When I woke up I was all alone<strong>_

_**On a day-I-ay-I-ay**_

_**With a broken heart and a ticket home**_

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><p><em>He sat in the bed staring at the plane ticket in his hand. He had woken up to an empty bed and had gone out looking for her but she wasn't in the small house. Slowly getting to his feet he put on his jeans and shirt. Tugging on his cowboy boots he left her house and spotted her, waiting out by the front gate. He started to smile but he saw the hard look on her face and the tears at the corner of her eyes. His smile faded as he came to a stop in front in her. <em>

"_Are ya alright?" He had asked. She had shaken her head and told him that he needed to leave. He begged her to tell him why she suddenly felt that way, told her that he knew that she felt the same electricity he did between them. _

"_I know ya do!" he had yelled. "I know ya felt it last night! It wasn't a one-time thing neither!"_

_She had begun to cry and told him to leave because that's the way it had to end. She was a Galway Girl destined to marry a Galway Boy. Alfred had pleaded with her to come with him, back to Tennessee, said that he'd take care of her. _

"_Just come with me please! Ya will love Tennessee, it's a bustlin' music town with never a dull a moment." She had slapped him and told him to go._

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><p>Sitting down at the table his friends had secured he grinned. "So how did I do?"<p>

"Alfie ya were amazin'!" His sister replied excitedly. "Not that I ever doubted ya, ya were always talented."

"You are too my little sparrow," Gilbert reminded her. "Your singing is beautiful."

Alfred nodded. "I'd love it if ya sang on one of my songs little sis."

Amelia blushed as Mathias came back with a round of drinks. "Here's to Alfred!" He shouted taking the attention off of Amelia. She tossed the man an appreciative smile. "_SKAL_!" Mathias cheered.

They all drank to his successful night and his hopeful future. Alfred was lounging back in his chair when his eyes drifted to the bar and he froze. There sitting not more than ten feet away was a very familiar set of blue eyes. She smiled as he held her gaze, his heart stilled in his chest. Excusing himself from his company he walked over slowly. Had he finally lost his mind? Was he picturing her there when she was really back in Galway? Back in Ireland where she had said she couldn't leave?

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><p><em><strong>And I ask you now, what's a fella to do?<strong>_

_**If her hair was black and her eyes were blue.**_

_**I've traveled around; I've been all over this world**_

_**Boys, I ain't never seen nothin' like a Galway Girl**_

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><p>He stood in front of the girl who had haunted him daily for the past three years.<p>

"Are ya really here?" he asked softly.

"I am Alfred," she replied smiling gently.

"Why?" he could hardly believe that she was there. He must be going insane.

"I liked that song ya sang." She responded, dodging his question.

"Why are ya here?" he tried again.

"Because this Galway Girl wants to be with this crazy and charming American. She can't stop thinkin' about him."

Alfred couldn't breathe. His words were caught in his throat so instead he took her face in his hands and kissed her. Pulling away he smiled as she reached up and held his hands. He had been dreaming about this for years, he had even considered going back for her.

"So I took his hands," she sang softly as she laced their fingers together. "and this ain't no ploy. This Galway Girl loves a Dallas Boy."

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><p><strong>***Author's Note*** So Galway is a small regional town in Ireland. The Salthill Prom is the Salthill Promenade, a boardwalk with vendors and games and dancing. The Long Walk and the Spanish Arch are two architectural features in Galway visited by tourists.<strong>


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